Talent development is one of the biggest challenges facing the multifamily industry, as job duration continues to shrink threatening attempts at employee engagement.  I attended the " Growing Your Own: Lessons in Organic Talent Development" session at the 2017 NAA Education Conference and Expo to gain some insights into what leaders in the industry are doing to tackle these challenges!  Here are some of the notes I pulled away from the session, presented by Virginia Means, Jennifer Staciokas, and Virginia Love, and moderated by Debbie Phillips:  (I added some of my own commentary in italics) 

• 39% of executives report difficulties in finding talent.  This is especially true for maintenance positions!  The number one need for many property management companies are high quality maintenance pros, and how to retain them as the construction industry continues to siphon off some of our best talent.
• Millennials are expected to stay in their jobs less than 3 years.  How does that affect knowledge transfer?  Another concern is relationship transfer.  We always say that prospects lease most often because of the connection made with the leasing consultant.  When we suffer from high employee turnover, the relationships with those lost leasing consultants often are not transferred properly, which then has a resonating affect on our resident turnover.
• One of the biggest impacts on employee engagement is when a team member leaves.  Those that are left after someone quits suffer through increased workload as everybody else has to pick up the slack. 
• Don't be afraid to differentiate your talent!  If someone is great at your organization, make sure to let them know!
• Don't be afraid to cut ties.  One of my favorite quotes of the conference was "Move up, move over, or move out".  Don't let underperforming team members weigh your team down, hurting morale. 
• Your best performers want a voice.  Surveying your team members is critical to give them an opportunity to share their thoughts about their own position and the company.  But just as important as surveying them, is actually following up.  Three elements to the feedback are:
• Reaffirming you understand their opinion and are taking it into account:  "What I heard from you is..."
• Giving them a plan to responding to their concerns:  "Here is our plan to address it."
• Keeping them aware of the progress through periodic status updates, so they feel confident that their issues are being addressed.
• Special projects for high potential team members is excellent, especially if they are connected to an executive to offer face time.
• Find other industries to pull people from.  Some industries, such as quick service restaurants, are often lower paid, so our salary would be an improvement, and they are also used to working weekends!
• Instead of a "Career Ladder", provide a "Career Lattice".  In other words, not all employee moves have to be directly up.  Giving different paths offers the opportunity to learn different parts of the business and round out their skill set.
• Look for skill diversity in your team.  There is an urge to hire people who remind you of yourself, but it is important to find those that fill the skill gaps you don't have.  Don't know what your own skill gaps are?  Jennifer suggested just asking your team - they will tell you!  Ha!
• Don't wait for yearly reviews to give feedback.  Feedback should be given in the moment, although privately.
• If you find a weakness in a team member, match them with someone who is strong in that area.
• When hearing ideas from your team, never speak in absolutes, such as "We never do that".  Those types of responses can be soul-crushing and stifle innovation.